A total of 113 children died of malnutrition in Gauteng from April 2015 to March this year, the Democratic Alliance said on Sunday.
“This shock figure was disclosed by Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu on Friday at a Gauteng legislature health committee meeting held in public in Orange Farm,” DA MPL Jack Bloom said.
According to a document presented at the meeting, there were 3040 new cases of severe malnutrition, with 1512 admissions and 113 deaths due to severe acute malnutrition, he said.
Furthermore, the document stated that “incorrect clinical assessment, classification, and management of severe acute malnutrition [are] still a challenge”.
Mahlangu had said malnutrition cases were increasing and an integrated approach had to be taken that included communities and the social development department.
“I am horrified that so many children are dying of starvation in an urban province like Gauteng that has the resources to ensure that everyone is fed. The malnutrition death figures should be a wake up call that more needs to be done to identity people at risk who need assistance,” Bloom said.
It also showed the urgent need for job creation so that people had money to feed themselves instead of relying on welfare.
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